The biggest thing that can happen if a carpet is improperly cleaned is that it can be over wetted. After a proper carpet cleaning your carpet should be dry within about four to eight hours. Long dry times are no longer acceptable. Common causes of excessively wet carpet included faulty equipment, poor cleaning techniques and using too much water pressure. Carpet that is over wet can face a number of potential problems. One of those problems is mildew growth which is bad for obvious reasons. Another problem is carpet shrinkage or stretching but this mainly affects older cellulose backed carpets. If you think that your carpet has been over wet you need to call the company who cleaned it immediately and have them return and extract and dry the carpet.

Another problem of poorly cleaned carpet is furniture stains. A proper cleaning will include the placement of furniture pads or foam blocks under the legs of the furniture. If these are not used the furniture's varnish can easily transfer to the carpet. This is often a permanent stain. Another danger is that metal legs from furniture can rust onto the carpet or fabric furniture can bleed dye to the carpet. If you notice that your carpet cleaner is not placing blocks or pads under the furniture they move, make sure that they start.

One final problem of improperly cleaned carpet is a residue build up. This is often caused by a carpet that is cleaned with improper chemicals. The signs of this will often not appear for a month or so after the cleaning. If you suspect you have a residue problem you will need to have it re-cleaned. Find someone who uses a zero residue cleaner or who knows how to fix this kind of problem.

Improper carpet cleaning can cause a number of problems as you can see. This just scratches the surface of what can occur. To be sure that you are not the victim of bad carpet cleaning be sure to screen your carpet cleaner carefully. Good luck and do your research.